There are numerous different hitches that are used to attach a trailer to a vehicle to enable the vehicle to tow the trailer. A few popular hitches include a “bumper ball hitch,” a “gooseneck hitch,” and a “fifth-wheel hitch.” A bumper ball hitch comprises a ball attached to the bumper of the vehicle that fits within a corresponding socket located on a trailer. A gooseneck hitch also uses a ball located on a vehicle to engage a socket mounted on the trailer. But, the ball is mounted on the body of the vehicle, typically the bed of a pick-up truck, as opposed to the vehicle's bumper.
A fifth-wheel hitch is similar to a gooseneck hitch in that the section of the hitch attached to the vehicle is placed within the center of the truck bed and this section of the hitch includes a receiver (or other type of joint) that fits into a pin located on the section of the hitch attached to the trailer. But, a fifth-wheel hitch is different from a gooseneck and bumper ball hitch because it includes a large mounting mechanism that elevates the receiver (or other type of joint) above the bed of the truck.
All of these hitches have certain advantages and disadvantages and are typically used with certain trailers to perform specific tasks. For example, while a bumper ball hitch is excellent for towing a boat on a trailer, it isn't always appropriate to tow a large camper. Conversely, while a fifth-wheel hitch is an excellent choice to tow a large trailer such as a camper or RV, it usually won't function well to tow a boat. Therefore, a user might use a single vehicle to tow various trailers that have different hitches and have a bumper ball and a gooseneck or fifth-wheel hitch attached to the same vehicle to accommodate all of his towing needs.
One of the biggest problems associated with each of these hitches (bumper ball, gooseneck, and fifth-wheel) is properly aligning the ball with the socket (or the pin with the receiver for fifth-wheel hitch). The vehicle must be perfectly positioned so that the ball is located directly under the socket. Once aligned, the socket is lowered to engage the ball. Unfortunately, positioning the vehicle in the precise location to place the ball directly under the socket is very difficult, as the ball and socket are usually obstructed from a user's view. If the user fails to align the ball with the socket, the vehicle or trailer can be damaged if the socket or ball strikes the surface of the vehicle or trailer. This type of damage is particularly common with a bumper ball hitch and can result in a bent or punctured bumper.
To prevent vehicle damage and to help align the ball and socket, some users enlist the help of another person who stands behind the vehicle and directs the user to move either forward or backward and left or right until the ball is located directly under the socket. But, this method requires that another person be available and willing to help the user. Additionally, this method isn't practical at night because the other person must have a clear view of the ball and socket, which are not easy to see in the dark.
Other users will attempt to get as close as they can, then park the vehicle and walk to the bed or bumper to see how close they got. The user will then get back in the vehicle and reposition it based upon the results of the first attempt. This method usually takes several attempts at aligning the ball and socket before it is successful.
Alignment devices have been developed to enable a user to align the ball and socket by himself, and some of these devices function in the dark of night. But these devices have drawbacks, the biggest of which is that each particular alignment device is configured to be used with a specific style of hitch. Because each alignment device is capable of aligning only a specific style of hitch, a user can only use the alignment device for one type of hitch (i.e., a device that aligns a vehicle to a trailer with a bumper ball hitch would be useless to align the vehicle with a trailer that has a gooseneck hitch). Thus, if a user wanted to tow two trailers with two different hitches, he would have to use two separate alignment devices.
Another drawback of known alignment devices is that they only function well when the vehicle is extremely close to the trailer. Specifically, certain known alignment devices only begin to function when the vehicle is a few feet away from the trailer. This can cause the driver to hit the trailer with the vehicle while attempting to get the alignment device “in range” to function.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a trailer alignment device that can be used to align a vehicle with trailers that have either a bumper ball, gooseneck, or fifth-wheel hitch that begins to assist the driver in aligning the vehicle with the trailer when the vehicle is several yards away from the trailer. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an alignment apparatus that functions well in the dark.